Warning light assembly



Nov. 22, 1966 H. E. LANTERY 3,237,549

WARNING LIGHT ASSEMBLY Filed Dec. 19, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 A M A Aw 4%i 2 2 r i mnmmwwwwwfimv E A 4 2 NOV. 22, 1966 E LANTERY WARNING LIGHTASSEMBLY 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 19, 1963 FIG. 5

FIG. 3

United States Patent 3,287,549 WARNING LIGHT ASSEMBLY Harry E.- Lantery,Wollaston, Mass., assignor to Imagineers, Inc., Wollaston, Mass., acorporation of Massachusetts Filed Dec. 19, 1963, Ser. No. 331,754 2Claims. (Cl. 2408.1)

This invention comprises a new and improved warn- I ing or indicatinglight constructed and arranged to be the slowing down or stopping ofcars immediately ahead. 7

Such advancewarning gives the following drivers an important advantagein time for reaction. In practice the indicator light,..being mountedsomewhat above the roof-line of the cars will be visible for many carlengths back. Such equipment will make for safer driving on highways andparticularly the high speed express highways which are becoming more andmore dangerous for tourists and nonprofessional drivers.

My invention is characterized by the sturdy and inexpensive constructionof its elements. The base is sufficiently adjustable to accommodate thecontoured exterior of the vehicle upon which it is to be installed. Thepost for the mast includes a spring section which contributes to theflexibility of the base unit when the mast is extended upwardly. Thebase has within it a flexible sleeve liner which is securely held inposition with respect to the lower part of the base but slidably fittedinto the upper part thereof.

The mast carries at its upper end a lamp bulb and this is enclosed in ahousing of attractive appearance. The housing not only protects the bulbbut provides a mounting for a transparent or a translucent colored panelthrough which the warning light is directed toward the rear of thevehicle. The housing is also constructed and arranged to insureventilation of the bulb by providing a novel arrangement of air vents orducts for the passage of cooling air currents.

These and other features of the invention will be best understood andappreciated from the following description of a preferred embodimentthereof, selected for purposes of illustration and shown in theaccompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a broken view in elevation with certain parts shown inlongitudinal section,

FIGS. 2 and 2A are sectional views on the line 2-2 and 2A2A of FIG. 1,

FIG. 3 is a top view of the lamp bulb housing,

FIG. 4 is a view in longitudinal section of the bulb and its housing,

FIG. 5 is a view in longitudinal section of a post member of modifiedconstruction, and

FIGS. 6 and 7 are sectional views on the lines 6-6 and 77 of FIG. 5, andon an enlarged scale.

In FIG. 1 is shown a portion 10 of the sheet metal vehicle body uponwhich the post of the device is erected. A circular hole is first cut inthe body and to its circumference are secured an inner ring 11 and anouter ring 12. These are separated by a gasket 13 and secured togetherby bolts and shaped to form the spherical socket of a ball and socketconnection. The outer ring 12 may Patented Nov. 22, 1966 convenientlyserve as a drill jig in installing the device. The ball member 14 formsthe end of the lower post section 15. The connection is such that thepost may be held upright against displacement with any desired degree offriction.

The post comprises a lower section 15, an intermediate spring section 16and upper section 17. The lower section 15 has an inner wall which ishexagonal in cross section as indicated in FIG. 2 while the intermediatesection 16 comprises a close wound spring threaded upon the adjacentends of the upper and lower post sections. This gives flexibility to thepost as a whole.

A hollow liner 18 of flexible plastic material extends continuously fromthe ball member 14 to the top of the upper post section 17. The lowerportion of this liner is of hexagonal cross section so that it is heldsecurely against rotary movement in the post section 15. A shallow boss19 on the liner fits a depression in the post section 15. The liner hasa shoulder 21 near its upper end and this is spaced longitudinally froman opposed annular shoulder 21 in the top section 17 of the post so thatclearance is provided for slight longitudinal movement of the liner whenthe top post section is deflected as permitted by the spring section 16.The liner 1-8 is shown as flanged at its lower end and. secured byscrews to the bottom of the ball member 14.

The lower mast section 20 which is also of hexagonal cross section istelescopically received within the liner 18 in the upper section of thepost. This mast section is arranged to slide frictionally in the linerand is maintained in its protruded position by friction. It is formed ofmetal and serves as a portion of an antenna for radio communication.

The plastic liner 18 is longitudinally grooved to receive a metal strip18' which serves as a conducting member for the antenna. The mastsection 20 is connected to this strip by spring clips 23 which maintaina yielding contact with the strip that is not interrupted by flexing ofthe post in its spring section 16. In its extended position the mastsection 20 lies wholly above the spring section 16 of the post whilewhen it is depressed it masks the flexibility of the post. Detents areprovided in the liner 18 for determining the extended position of thesection 20.

The lower mast section 20 receives telescopically an upper mast section22 also of metal and hexagonal in cross section and carrying to itslower end one or more spring contact clips 23'. Both mast sections arehollow and contain electric wiring 24 which is led into the bottom ofthe post section 15 and extends continuously to the lamp which iscarried by the top of the section 22. They of themselves constituteantenna elements.

The inner surface of the post section 17 is cylindrical as shown in FIG.2A as is also the outer surface of the liner 18 in that portion of itslength above the spring section 16. The liner is held positively againstrotation by its lower hexagon-a1 portion that fits within the lower postsection 15, but the upper section 17 is permitted to twist with respectto the upper portion of the liner that may be caused by expansion orcontraction of the spring of section 16. This construction insures thatthe light carried at the top of the mast section shall always bedirected in a fixed rearward direction regardless of possible twistingof the upper post section.

Upon the top of the section 22 of the mast is located a lamp socket 26and this is mounted through the medium of a sleeve 27 carrying anapertured base plate 28 at its upper end. The socket 26 and the lampbulb carried thereby are enclosed in a housing which includes areentrant sleeve 29 fitted upon the upper mast section 22 below thesleeve 27 and a conical housing or escutcheon which has a ring of airapertures 31 in its lower portion.

The upper portion 32 of the housing has threaded or snap connection withthe lower portion 30 and is provided in its rear side with a coloredglass translucent panel 33 which is directed rearwardly as assembledupon the vehicle. Above the panel is formed an air outlet passage 34 andthis cooperates with the apertures of the base plate 28 and theapertures 31 of the lower housing in maintaining a cooling draft of airabout the lamp bulb. The outlet passage 34 is inclined downwardly andoutwardly for protection in wet weather. The lower housing 30 is alsoprovided with a rearwardly extending flange 35 which serves to cut offrays directed downwardly from the lamp.

A modified construction of the post member is shown in FIGS. 7. Itcomprises a lower section 40 secured to the vehicle body by an internalring 41 and bolts. An upper section is flexibly secured to the lowersection. It comprises a spring strip 42 secured to the front side of thepost 40 and a rear spring member 44 connected to the rear side of thepost 40 by pins 45. The two spring members 42 and 44 carry to theirupper end plugs 46 and 46' having a guide for a circular mast section47.

The upper mast section 47 is pivotally connected to the post 40 throughthe medium of a pair of spring pressed balls 43 having sockets in theupper end of the post 40. The mast sections are slidable in the post andcarry electric connections to the lamp which is carried by the uppermast section 47 in the same manner as the lamp is shown in FIG. 4.

The insulating sleeve 18 in the post sections and 17 is provided withinternal rings or shoulders 180 which hold the mast in elevated positionbut are sufficiently resilient to permit the mast to be forciblydepressed.

Having thus disclosed my invention and described an illustrativeembodiment thereof, I claim as new and desire to secure by LettersPatent:

1. A warning light device for vehicles, comprising a mast arranged to bemounted in upright non-rotative position on a vehicle and carrying atits upper end an apertured supporting plate, a lamp bulb mounted on theplate, an upper housing surrounding the bulb, having a colored glasspanel in its rear side and a ventilating passage above said panel, and alower housing below said supporting plate surrounding the top of themast and having ventilating apertures cooperating with those of theupper housing for circulating a cooling draft about the lamp bulb, thelower housing being provided with an outstanding flange located inposition to cut olf downwardly directedrays from the enclosed lightbulb.

2. A warning light for vehicles as described in claim 1 furthercharacterized in that the supporting plate and the lower housing memberhave oppositely directed sleeves for telescopic connection with the topof the mast.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,775,586 9/1930Becker 240822 2,166,394 7/1939 Crossley 24052 2,174,067 9/1939 Bahr2408.1 2,252,395 8/1941 Cohen 2408.l X 2,520,861 8/ 1950 Stone 287-862,636,109 4/1953 Cone 24081 2,636,976 4/1953 Eckert 24047 X 2,641,6876/1953 Akely 24025 2,851,587 9/1958 Stockman 24052 2,980,457 4/1961 Page287-436 3,094,286 6/1963 Harling 24047 X 3,156,418 11/1964 Jablonski etal 24025 X NORTON ANSHER, Primary Examiner.

1. A WARNING LIGHT DEVICE FOR VEHICLES, COMPRISING A MAST ARRANGED TO BEMOUNTED IN UPRIGHT NON-ROTATIVE POSITION ON A VEHICLE AND CARRYING ATITS UPPER END AN APERTURED SUPPORTING PLATE, A LAMP BULB MOUNTED ON THEPLATE, AN UPPER HOUSING SURROUNDING THE BULB, HAVING A COLORED GLASSPANEL IN ITS REAR SIDE AND A VENTILATING PASSAGE ABOVE SAID PANEL, AND ALOWER HOUSING BELOW SAID SUPPORTING PLATE SURROUNDING THE TOP OF THEMAST AND HAVING VENTI-